April 20, 2008
Green Berets Recount Deadly Taliban Ambush
Special Forces Troops Tell 60 Minutes Taliban Fighters Better Organized Than They Expected
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Ambush In Afghanistan
U.S. Army Special Forces say they were shocked by military tactics used by Taliban fighters who ambushed them near Kandahar, Afghanistan, in their first account of the unreported battle. Lara Logan reports.
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And we hardly ever hear from the elite, secretive U.S. Special Forces who are leading that fight. But a Green Beret team wanted to talk to 60 Minutes to honor the men they lost when they were ambushed by hundreds of Taliban fighters two years ago.
Not since "Black Hawk Down" in Somalia have we heard a story of a small band of elite American soldiers who were so badly outnumbered and fighting for their lives.
This is a story about valor. But it's also a wake-up call about the growing strength of the enemy in Afghanistan.
From behind enemy lines, a Taliban camera captured pictures of the fighting, which started at sundown on June 23, 2006.
"And it's like all hell breaks loose. Literally, all hell breaks loose," remembers Major Shef Ford. "The enemy is firing at all directions at us. And soldiers are trying to identify the positions and return fire. They had completely surrounded us and were firing at us with multiple systems."
The battle, over two days and two nights, took place in a small village about 12 miles southwest of the city of Kandahar. The Green Berets, just nine of them, went into the village with eight other American and 48 Afghan soldiers. They were on a mission to capture or kill a Taliban commander known to operate in the area.
Maj. Ford says he didn't know hundreds of well-armed, well-supplied hardcore Taliban were waiting to ambush his men. American forces were accustomed to quick hit and run attacks by the Taliban, but Ford and Sergeant Brendan O'Connor say they were shocked by the sustained, organized assault in the village.
"We had not seen this disciplined execution of infantry tactics," Sgt. O'Connor explains.
"And you had never experienced anything like this?" correspondent Lara Logan asks.
"Not to this extent," Ford says. "We also started taking mortar fire into the patrol base, which also demonstrated that there was somebody who knew about the weapons system and how to operate it."
"So that was a sign that this was going to be different?" Logan asks.
"Yes, that was a sign," Ford says.
At one point, the Taliban even broke through the Green Berets' perimeter, but were pushed back. Maj. Ford called in air support. But the bombs couldn't stop the Taliban - they were everywhere.
Using an unmanned aerial vehicle as their eyes in the sky, the Green Berets located a compound near the town graveyard that they suspected the Taliban were using as a command center.
Team Sergeant Thom Maholic led a small group of men from the Green Beret patrol base to the compound, a third of a mile away. The Taliban pulled back, but a short distance away they were dug in with machine guns.
"There was enemy located in three different positions in this irrigation ditch," Ford remembers.
Produced by Tom Anderson, Max McClellan, and Jenny Dubin
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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See all 240 CommentsUnable to find reinforcements why not what is wrong with the administration oh wait they attacked the wrong country.
a war already lost by the neo con cabal in washington,
an occupation in Iraq being lost as we speak,
a debacle of immense proportions the neo cons and their republicon allies have turned the USA into a third world country
TERRORIST-LOVER
If we keep waxin'' their azz at a 60 to 1 ratio it shouldn''t take long to mop em up!
and we had a better ratio than that in Vietnam
we lost there because the republicons were doing the same thing that they are doing right now,
they are in this war to make money, and thats all,
chicken hawk war profiteers, republicon pigs,
like this garbage? vote mcbushcain four more
however , the neo cons do not want to win,
they want the war to last 100 years,
they make more money that way,
look at Vietnam, we had an outfit called pacific arciticts and engineers, they are called haliburton now, they made billion s out of 11 years of war
What can we do the the Taliban that we did not try on
the Vietnamese?, the people of these countries were not
set free by us, we enslaved them , and they will continue to fight us until we leave them alone,
or until haliburton and the republicons have made enough money
+ report abuse
*****************
of course you are running on an impression that the vietcongs and the talibans are PRETTY DECENT PEOPLE JUST TRYING TO LIVE...you are so fu cking naive!!!!!!!!!!!!
here is a clue to change your presepective on things a bit..THIS COUNTRY IS NOT THAT BAD..stop thinking that we are always enslaving people...IF YOU TRULLY BELIEVE THAT WE ARE..THEN SPARE ME TO BOOHOOHOO *** AND GET THE FU CK OUT OF HERE.
We must have the worst intelligence service fo any major nation, we''er always surprised by what the "enemy" does. Maybe someone gives them out "intelligence" to keep them active.
Posted by ZykraCosmos at 04:39 PM : Apr 18, 2008
You are absoultly correct thanks to the stupid neo con party (former Republicans). They did just like Hitler took on two fronts and then faced the Russain winter along with the Allied Air no wonder they lost. Well, guess what the cable that is in charge you know his grandfather was selling wepons to the nazis.
Yes, I can see were they got there militarty training from.
I am an American Special Forces soldier. A professional!
I will do all that my nation requires of me.
I am a volunteer, knowing well the hazards of my profession.
I serve with the memory of those who have gone before me:
Roger''s Rangers, Francis Marion, Mosby''s Rangers,
the first Special Service Forces and Ranger Battalions
of World War II, the Airborne Ranger Companies of Korea.
I pledge to uphold the honor and integrity of all I am - in all I do.
I am a professional soldier.
I will teach and fight wherever my nation requires.
I will strive always, to excel in every art and artifice of war.
I know that I will be called upon to perform tasks
in isolation, far from familiar faces and voices,
with the help and guidance of my God.
I will keep my mind and body clean, alert and strong,
for this is my debt to those who depend upon me.
I will not fail those with whom I serve.
I will not bring shame upon myself or the forces.
I will maintain myself, my arms, and my equipment
in an immaculate state as befits a Special Forces soldier.
I will never surrender though I be the last.
If I am taken, I pray that I may have the strength
to spit upon my enemy.
My goal is to succeed in any mission
- and live to succeed again.
I am a member of my nation''s chosen soldiery.
God grant that I may not be found wanting,
that I will not fail this sacred trust.
"De Oppresso Liber"
don''t be a fool, what does that have to do with anything now,
Osama bin laden has left Afganistan, we lost him, the
war there is now with the people who live there and they want us out,
its the same in Iraq,
Wake up boy! We do not belong in other peoples countries,
After we kick the taliban''s butti we need to get the helll out,
and because most of the terrorists are allready out of there,
and are hiding out with OB Laden, we should leave.
talk about america making slaves what do you call
a million chinese working for wall mart at 10 cents
a day,
the neo cons and people like you have turned the USA
into a third world country
thats fine talk bro, HooRah!, beenthere
but its got nothing to do with us needing to get out
of this mess, our leaders have failed us
what a crock, you are full of shiit,
everyone respects the troops , don''t pretend that
that only republicon conservative clowns do it,
you a simple liar , if you supported the troops, than
even someone like you would want to end this immoral
greed driven occupation in Iraq and let them come home,
get ooff your asss and go to Iraq and find out the truth
Jack Handey
+ report abuse
************
what does it matter now?? BIT CH YOU BROUGH THE ISSUE UP.
what people?? the only ''people'' who wants us out are the very same people who are rellying on morons like you to justify this own lust for power and greed..
you have a very misguided idea about the nature of our enemy..terrorists are out?? what can you contain radical islamic ideology??? that would be so easy now would it..your cowardice and denial is making things more difficult to combat our enemy..
we had your carter/clintonish style of combating terrroism for a long time..and it made it stronger, bolder and more defiant..AND GUESS WHAT..YOU ARE making sure the carter/clinton legacy lives on
Jack Handey
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******************
no wonder liberal hollywood is big..morons like you follow whatever falls out of thier mouths as gospel..
next time dont pick a comedian..
+ report abuse
******************
no wonder liberal hollywood is big..morons like you follow whatever falls out of thier mouths as gospel..
next time dont pick a comedian..
Posted by libsrweak at 06:48 PM : Apr 18, 2008
Geeez. Your''re about as fun as a sack of dead kittens. But I''m sure everybody you know already knows that.
of the republicon party,
if you clowns really cared about the troops you would want them home,
81% of americans think this thing is a mess and our
country is on the wrong track, what are you guys
taking or smoking that you don''t know right from wrong?
pulpit told you to dress like monkeys and dance in the street you would be out there right now,
why aren''t you losers in Iraq like the rest of us, ask
a real trooper if he wants to stay in that shiithole
for GW Bush''s war
you are Un-American
They have the courage to fight because they beleive in the war. Unfortunately you take their courage and use it as some sort of point in an insane rant solely based on liberal politics. The funny thing is that right up until the war, most of the liberal leaders you hold up on high were FOR THE WAR as well. You''re a disgrace to the country. Those soldiers are heroes and you are a piece of $hit.
God Bless America!
PS It is also nice to see Barack Hussein Obama being taken to the mat for going to a church where a disgusting anti-american, racist preacher gives sermons based on politics and his own racist ideals.
- Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Oct. 9, 2002 |
This from one of "onlythelibs" heroes
- Sen. Carl Levin (D, MI), Sept. 19, 2002
Another of "onlythelibs" heroes
- Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002
But only Bush lied because he''s a republican. These democrats were just wrong and feel "really bad about it"
The Afghanistan and Iraq campaign have been strategic successes. Anyone versed in the military will tell you that. They will also tell you that these campaigns are going to take time. We have been, are now and will continue to win this war if we take the offensive like we have after 9/11.
BTW....Bill Clinton was in office for the 1st 2 terrorist attacks on this country by Osama Bin Laden. USS COLE, 1st WTC bombing. What did he do about it?
Un-American asss off
- Sen. Carl Levin (D, MI), Sept. 19, 2002
Another of "onlythelibs" heroes
Un-American asss off
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Posted by joyous88 at 08:50 PM : Apr 18, 2008
Actually you use of the word lieing is incorrect. In your sntence the correct form would be lying. Also in your closing sentence, you incorrectly spelled "asss". It should be AS$ES. You should also start each sentence or thought with a Capital. Also, you include no punctation in your inane rant. Did you get to 4th or 5th grade? I can''t quite figure that one out.
Hope this helps.
Announcing the invasion of Iraq on March 19, 2003, Mr. Bush said, "Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised."
Two months into the war, on May 29, 2003, Mr. Bush said weapons of mass destruction had been found.
"We found the weapons of mass destruction. We found biological laboratories," Mr. Bush told Polish television. "For those who say we haven''t found the banned manufacturing devices or banned weapons, they''re wrong, we found them."
On Sept. 9, 2004, in Pennsylvania, Mr. Bush said: "I recognize we didn''t find the stockpiles [of weapons] we all thought were there."
During the 2000 campaign, George W. Bush argued against nation building and foreign military entanglements. In the second presidential debate, he said: "I''m not so sure the role of the United States is to go around the world and say, ''This is the way it''s got to be.''"
The United States is currently involved in nation building in Iraq on a scale unseen since the years immediately following World War II.
During the 2000 election, Mr. Bush called for U.S. troops to be withdrawn from the NATO peacekeeping mission in the Balkans. His administration now cites such missions as an example of how America must "stay the course."
In a press conference in September 2002, six months before the invasion of Iraq, President Bush said, "you can''t distinguish between al Qaeda and Saddam when you talk about the war on terror... they''re both equally as bad, and equally as evil, and equally as destructive."
In September of 2004, Mr. Bush said: "We''ve had no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with September 11th." Though he added that "there''s no question that Saddam Hussein had al Qaeda ties," the statement seemingly belied earlier assertions that Saddam and al Qaeda were %u201Cequally bad."
The Sept. 11 commission found there was no evidence Saddam was linked to the 9/11 attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people.
It is a story of duty, honor and country.
Your comments are more appropriate elsewhere.
Gordon Brown, Prime Minister of Great Britain, just said the other day, that the world owes G.W. Bush a great debt for taking a stand in the War Against Terror. That is true.
It is also true that some people like this IOWEIGN, want to give hope to our enemy, and attempt to sap the morale of the American people.
He/She/It probably goes to bed at night, of the opinion that he/she/it is a good person. There is intentional deciet in that opinion also.
It hasbeena long time since ihave seen or heard that creed. It still makes me proud. To joyous88 this is a story about real heroes, respect that. They are fighting a just war in Afghanastan. It has nothing to do with Iraq, except that foces needed in Afghanastann are fighting in Iraq. Respect these fine soldiers who are true heroes of our country.
Posted by kesac4650 at 10:05 PM
NO! It was Bush that was full of half truth''s innuendoes and intentional deciets that took us into this nightmare of once being the greatest country in the history of the world into a nation of willing war criminals.
I spit on you and your kind for your cowardice in selling out your country because you''re afraid of a bunch of stone age camel jockeys. God, you make me sick!
You shame America with the world holocost you would tolerate and even perpetuate with your kill ''em all and let God sort ''em out attitude. You consider yourself pro-life I bet, too. You''re no such thing.
You think your tough... but your just scared and pitiful representative of the values you claim to represent. Your G.I Joe doll experience of war is very telling by your selfless willingness to sacrifice others for your cause.
Your neocon lies ring hollow and have no weight in today''s real reality. You''re heading for extinction... get used to it. You''ve spun your web into your burial shroud... it will be my great pleasure to wash your body. Amen!
Still, read a little history: for centuries no country has had a particularly successful time subduing the Afghans.
The US had its best chance for success in 2002, but Bush/Cheney/Rummy pulled out and diverted troops to Iraq. Was their premature withdrawal an attempt at conservative birth control, or an impotent cry for Viagra?
but I do not respect people whose only goal is to prop
up Bush at the expense of the troops,
It is very easy to put a yellow sticker on your car
and say support the troops, its too easy in fact,
when a lot of these clowns only care about supporting
the bush war.
Soldiers have to own up to the fact that their leader
has deserted them in the field and the right wing
clowns, the 18 percent, that still support that
leader are doing nothing to support the troops.
It''s all conservative propanganda.
I''m a soldier and I dont have to own up to sh*t! You see, I fight and have fought for the guy on my left and right. When I raised my hand I put all that political B.S. to the side. Yeah soldiers will bi*ch and complain, but when we are given a mission and no matter who sits at the top, we will execute.
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